Saturday, September 23, 2017

Bridget Mary: Welcome. It is with great joy that we
join with Ann and Christopher to welcome their son Alexander and daughter
Amelie into the Christian community.

Bridget Mary: Let us begin our ceremony with a
prayer to the Source of all Life.

O Holy One, you continually remind us that
you love your creation by sending us brand new possibilities in the form of
daughters and sons. May these children grow in their understanding of
your infinite love as they learn the meaning of faith through service. May they
come to appreciate their responsible place as co-creators of their lives in
You. Amen.

(pause)

Bridget
Mary: Introduction to Rite of Baptism

The
Rite of Baptism begins with a statement of intent on the part of the parents
and godparents. The children are too young to speak for themselves, so their
parents and God parents speak for them.

BAPTISMAL RITE

Reception
of the Child

Bridget Mary:I invite parents and godparents to stand
together

Bridget Mary:(to the parents)Ann and Chris what do you ask of this Christian
Community?

Ann and We ask that our son Alexander and
our daughter Amelie be welcomed into the Christian community through the
sacrament of Baptism.

Bridget Mary:By asking for Baptism within the Christian
community, you are promising to teach your children to live justly, to love
tenderly and to walk with integrity for all to see and celebrate. You are
promising to teach her about her brother, Jesus, and his message of love.
Do you promise to do this to the best of your ability?

Parents: We do.

Bridget Mary:(to the godparents)Jackie and Neelesh, do
you promise to help Ann and Christopher as they teach their children about the
Source of All Life and about Jesus, our brother?

Jackie and NeelishWe do.

Baptismal Ritual

Bridget Mary :In our ritual today, we use many
sacramental symbols and signs. We continue the baptismal ritual with a blessing
of the water and the oil.

Ann:O Holy One, Source of all that is, we
experience your grace through sacramental signs, which tell us of your unseen
presence.

Christopher:At the dawn of creation, Your Spirit
breathed on the waters making them the wellspring of all holiness.

Godmother Jackie:The water of the Red Sea, through which
our ancestors traveled, is a symbol of our liberation from all that holds us
captive. In the waters of the Jordan River, our brother Jesus was baptized by
his cousin, John, and anointed with your Spirit.

Godfather NeeleshAfter the resurrection, the disciples of
Jesus celebrated baptism in water and the Spirit with those who answered Your
call to holiness.

Ann:From age to age, oil has been used to
anoint the priests, prophets, leaders and visionaries.

Bridget Mary:(to all present) Please extend your hands in blessing the water and oil .

O Holy One, you call us to be co-creators
of a world filled with blessing and abundance. As co-creators with you, we
bless this water and oil as a symbol of your grace filled presence in our
community. (pause)

Baptismal Promises

Bridget MaryIn this part of the baptismal ritual, Ann
andChrisopher tmake baptismal promises
for their children. I invite anyone who wishes to renew their baptismal
promises to respond, “I do,” to each of the following:

Do you promise to see what is good for
your sisters and brothers everywhere, rejecting injustice and inequity, living
with the freedom and responsibility of children of God?

All:I do.

Bridget Mary: Do you promise to work for the
realization of God’s vision of harmony and right relations among all peoples,
rejecting the idols of money, property, color, sex and position?

All: I do.

Bridget Mary:Do
you promise to seek peace and live in peace in one human family, rejecting
prejudice and half-heartedness in every form, and all barriers to unity?

All: I do.

Bridget Mary:Do
you promise to cherish the universe, and this precious planet, working
creatively to renew and safeguard the elemental sacraments of air, earth, water
and fire?

All: I do.

Bridget Mary:Do
you believe in the Holy One, the Source of all life, in Jesus, our brother who
loved and lived among us so that all might live with abundant fullness; in the
breath of the Holy One’s center, the Spirit who continues the work of
forgiveness and reconciliation, birthing and blessing, challenge and hope, so
that together we can continue the work of creation?

All: I do.

Bridget Mary: Parents and godparents, please bring the
children to the baptismal font.

Pouring of Water

Bridget Mary:(as the parents pour water over the
children’s head)

We baptize you, Alexander/ Amelie

-in the name of our God who is the Source of all life,

-in the name of our God revealed in Jesus, our brother, and in our
own humanity,

-in the name of our God whose Spirit invites and inspires us as co-creators.
Amen.

Anointing with Oil

Bridget Mary:(as parents anoint each child’s head))

Alexander/ Amelie you were created in love
and welcomed to life with love. We anoint you with this oil in recognition that
human love is sacred, that you are sacred.

Presentation
of Stole, baptismal garment

Bridget
Mary:(as Godmother Jackie presents stoles) Alexander/Amelie, we present you with this stole. May it remind
you that you carry in the depths of your being the Spirit of Life and Love
itself.

Lighting Candle

Bridget Mary: (as Godfather lights each child’s candle from Parent’s
candle)Alexander/Amelia,
may this candle remind you of Jesus, who opened peoples’ minds and hearts to
see the “light” of God’s presence within them.

Final Blessing

Bridget Mary: Please stand as we pray a blessing for
our newly baptized children

Cele

Ann: May the Spirit of Air inspire you to
see the world through fresh, open eyes, to be a soulful visionary, and to lend
optimism and hope to all you encounter.

Christopher: May the Spirit of Fire
transform all you touch with Light, and grant you courage and protection as you
go forth in your Divine Life Mission.

Godmother Jackie: May the Spirit of Water
bring you purity in body, mind, and spirit to nurture you as you nurture
others, to support your inner knowing and intuition as you navigate the seen
and unseen worlds.

Godfather: May the Spirit of Earth grant you wisdom
as you seek Divine Truth, Integrity of thought and action, and fortify you with
the strength you need to shine your Divine Light in the physical world as only
you can.

Bridget
Mary: And May you
always remember, the Source of All lives as a Divine Spark within you to
inspire, renew, and uplift you and all that you meet along your journey.
Amen. (This blessing was written by Mary Anne Nolan Gianino for baptism of
daughter Sofia)

Presentation of Child to Community

Bridget Mary:(Parents and Godparents hold children up))It is with great joy that we welcome Alexander
and Amelie to the Christian Community and extended family.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has admitted that the Catholic Church waited too long before taking reports of clergy sexual abuse seriously, suggesting that the former practice of moving priests accused of abuse to new ministries instead of reporting them to authorities kept the church numb to the scope of the situation.

In his first formal meeting Sept. 21 with the now three-year-old Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the pontiff also called "prophetic" the men and women who urged the church for decades to face the problem.

"I know it has not been easy to start this work," the pope told the members of the commission in off-the-cuff remarks notable for their frankness. "You have had to swim against the current because there is a reality: the church has taken consciousness about these crimes in a delayed manner."

"When the consciousness is delayed, the means for resolving the problem are delayed," said Francis. "I am aware of this difficulty. But it is a reality. I’ll say it so: We have come to this late."

"Maybe the old practice of moving people around, of not facing the problem, kept our consciousness asleep," the pope suggested. "Thanks to God, the Lord sent prophetic men and women in the church … who got others involved and began this work to face the problem head-on."

(Vatican Radio) International Day of Peace observed around the world on 21 September focuses this year on engaging and mobilizing people throughout the world to show support for refugees and migrants.

Fr. Cedric Prakash sj, a human rights activist from India and now working for JRS Lebanon reflecting on the theme of the current year “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All” says that the theme is based on the TOGETHER global campaign that promotes respect, safety and dignity for everyone forced to flee their homes in search of a better life. TOGETHER brings together the organizations of the United Nations System, the 193 member countries of the United Nations, the private sector, civil society, academic institutions and individual citizens in a global partnership in support of diversity, non-discrimination and acceptance of refugees and migrants.

Expressing his deep concern for the people suffering in different parts of the world and the insensitivity of the world leaders towards refugees, minorities and weaklings of the society he says that it is therefore necessary to remind ourselves that each one of us is called to be a channel of peace and that we need to have the courage to hold our leaders accountable in ensuring peace for all.

Pope Francis he says has consistently and unequivocally asserted the need for peace. He further quotes the Pope’s letter to the International Meeting “Paths of Peace” held in Germany from September 10th to 12th in which he wrote, “what we may not and must not do is remain indifferent, allowing tragedies of hatred to pass unnoticed, and men and women to be cast aside for the sake of power and profit. Your meeting in these days, and your desire to blaze new paths of peace and for peace, can be seen as a response to the call to overcome indifference in the face of human suffering. I thank you for this, and for the fact that you have gathered, despite your differences, to seek processes of liberation from the evils of war and hatred. For this to happen, the first step is to feel the pain of others, to make it our own, neither overlooking it nor becoming inured to it. We must never grow accustomed or indifferent to evil”.

The General Assembly has declared this day as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

In other words, we’re looking at a church that claims to be outraged by sex trafficking while contributing significantly to the demand that sustains it.

Sex trafficking is a tale as old as time. It is even depicted in the Bible, under a different name. Female victims of male exploitation were blamed and dismissed as sinful harlots, while the men that bought and sold them as chattel were never questioned or held accountable.

Now that the world is more aware of the problem of sex trafficking, the church has become very vocal about its desire to “rescue” victims.

Though well-intentioned, rescue does very little to help victims in the long run. If every single victim of trafficking were “rescued” today, trafficking would persist because of the demand for millions more bodies tomorrow.

Not only does the demand remain, but so do the reasons women are trafficked in the first place. Rescuing victims, on its own, neither eliminates the demand nor does it challenge an exploitative, male-centric culture. The conditions (both individually and structurally) that fuel sex trafficking have not changed.

While rescue makes the rescuer feel good and powerful, it leaves the victim still vulnerable. After she (or he) is rescued, then what? She can’t go back to the home where she was originally abused. She has no place to live. She doesn’t have a job. And if she has a criminal background, finding either is extremely difficult. She may not have an education or marketable skills.

She still lives in a world where her value is determined by men. She still lives in a world where men feel entitled to use and abuse her for selfish gratification. And they do. I believe this is primarily why, even after being rescued, some victims go right back to the people and systems that exploited them...

Victim/survivors, and all women, deserve more than short-lived, feel-good acts of chivalry or performative rescue missions. We need men to radically step out of their comfort zone and use their existing relationships and platforms to promote resistance and build long-term solutions.

I need more than grand acts of glory. I need to see men uphold the dignity of women in smaller moments that matter:

Speak up when a friend or family member makes a sexist remark

Challenge other men in your church or small group who endorse male authority, one-sided submission, or benevolent sexism

Invite a speaker to preach about patriarchy, rape culture, or egalitarianism/biblical equality

Respect women’s boundaries (don’t pressure, guilt, or make women in your life feel obligated to do something you want)

Counter sexist cultural messages that define girls/women’s value in domestic, sexual, and reproductive service to men

Start or join a men’s group that promotes awareness and takes action to end men’s violence

Believe victims; ask survivors how you can support them; and refuse to blame victims

Take political action—protest unjust laws or practices; write letters; call; and lobby with public officials to support policies that promote justice for women and freedom from men’s violence and exploitation

Meaningful male resistance must be centered in personal responsibility and social accountability. I want to see men taking deliberate action against patriarchy—not for glory, praise, or “social justice cookies,” but because patriarchy is evil; justice is right; and women deserve better.

Ten years ago, Br. David recorded A Good Day, which has been watched well over 1 million times. We invite you to join us in celebrating this timeless message, now updated with beautiful, high-resolution video footage, making it suitable for sharing on large and small screens alike. To make the new video, we partnered with Gnarly Bay, creators of Stop. Look. Go, a stunning short film inspired by Br. David’s playfully simple grateful living practice.

It’s needed. People around the globe report increasing levels of stress. Studies show that not only does being grateful feel good and promote pro-social behavior, it is also good for our hearts, our relationships, our sleep and it reduces stress. Gratefulness is an antidote to the woes of the world.

It’s quick. At just 5-minutes long, this video is a brief but effective tonic.

It’s soothing. This short video stops us in our tracks, calms our nervous systems with gentle music and the voice of Benedictine monk, Br. David Steindl-Rast reminding us to look around and notice the everyday gifts of our lives.More reasons…

In considering tools for living gratefully, we offer the following practices and questions to accompany and enrich your experience of our new video, A Grateful Day. We encourage you to watch the video, try these practices and reflect on the questions on your own, with family and friends or in a gratefulness group… See questions and practices…

In 2006, some friends arranged to have Br. David Steindl-Rast record a short meditation about gratefulness…the words that Br. David spontaneously offered that day were an exquisite outpouring of his heart. Read more…